Chapter Nine: Yasashisa wa tokidoki zankoku dakara
Koichi hummed happily to himself as he examined the two outfits stretched out before him. One was a rather old fashioned set of black robes, complete with tie footwear, and the other some of his more usual clothes, a long sleeved black t-shirt with a katana drawn down one sleeve and matching jeans.
Truth be told, Koichi wasn't even looking at the clothes, his smile should have been enough to convince anyone watching that his mind was elsewhere entirely.
---Koichi rotated his aching shoulder and shot a pointed glance at his companion.
"It was only practice you know, you didn't have to try and tent peg me into the ground".
Motoko smiled and punched his uninjured shoulder, "Be a man about it"
"Don't wanna"
She rolled her eyes at him took his hand, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "Better?"
"Much", he said with a lopsided grin. The walked peacefully hand in hand until they reached the structure that lay at the heart of the temple, the bathhouse.
"Here we are", he announced, "You can clean up in here before we move on to the next part of today's activities".
She nodded mutely and seemed to hesitate before placing her hand on the door, taking a long, slow look around the empty corridors before pushing the door aside.
Koichi turned to leave but found himself almost yanked of balance. He looked back and found out what had stopped him. His hand was still clasped firmly in Motoko's own, and she was walking into the bathhouse, dragging him along behind her by default.
He panicked for a second, did she not realise she still held his hand? Or…or was she doing this on purpose?
His uncle's words from earlier that day sprung to mind leaving Koichi gapping like a fish as he was pulled in, and the door slid silently back into place.
His hand was released after the door was closed and he watched as Motoko began moving around the room, examining the artificial decoration, testing the water's temperature and so on.
He wondered if it would be wise to announce his presence less this waking daydream be shattered.
"Um, Motoko-chan, what are we doing exactly?", he said trying to sound casual and relaxed.
"Taking a bath, what else", she said it so matter of factly that it didn't register for a few seconds.
"Oh…Wait, come again!"
She turned to face him, her expression neutral but her face noticeably coloured, "We need to take a bath, this will be quicker".
Koichi wondered for a second if this was really Motoko, "I guess… You've never let me bathe with you before".
"Yes, well we are going to be wed someday Koichi, so it's ok…Besides, it's only a bath, so get any perverted ideas you might be having out of your head, we'll both be wearing towels and there will be no funny business", she said firmly, strangely sounding as if she were addressing herself as well as him.
"Jeez, you make it all sound so fun Motoko-chan", he teased, feeling a little more assured of the situation, "Want me to wear a blindfold too?"
Her expression said she was considering it, so he decided to shut up and change topic.
"The changing screen is over there", he said pointing, "You want to go first or should I?".
"You", she said a little too quickly, displaying her embarrassment over the situation even though she had engineered it.
"Admit it", he laughed as he walked behind the screen, "You just wanted to see me shirtless"
"Hardly", her voice called back as he began to change, "I've seen it before remember. Not that impressive".
He snorted, "Whatever".
He stepped out after wrapping a towel around his waist and motioned Motoko silently behind the screen as he slipped into the warm water, swimming over to the far side so that he could rest against the edge there with an unobstructed view of the changing area.
After a few minutes Motoko's head emerged, her hair tied up atop her head and a faint blush staining her porcelain cheeks.
Koichi didn't say anything; he just smiled reassuringly at her. He was aware of how self-conscious Motoko was of her body despite being a beautiful woman. This was a big step for both her and them.
She took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped out, tugging at the towel wrapped around her as if trying to remind herself that it was there and slipping into the water.
Koichi sweat-dropped as he realised that she had no intention of moving from where she had entered the water, the exact opposite side of the bath from where he now sat.
"So…", he said when neither of them spoke for a while, "What did you think of the training session today?"
Motoko thought back on it, analysing what she had seen and learned.
"Impressive", she said at last, relaxing a little where she sat, "Your school has some unusual interpretations of how to apply Ki, but they are not totally incompatible with what the Gods Cry school teaches, I think we could probably merge the two schools quite effectively".
Koichi nodded his agreement, and again silence reigned.
"Would you…", Motoko trailed off.
"What?"
She looked away, blushing lightly before steeling her resolve and turning back to face him, "Would you like me to wash your back?"
He smiled and nodded, "Sure, but only if I can do yours, turn about is fair play and all that"---
It had all been quite pleasant. Motoko had even let him give her a quick kiss before they got out.
Shaking his head, Koichi forced his attention back to the task at hand, and began shrugging on the robes. He may not have liked them much, but it was the sort of thing Motoko would probably enjoy seeing him wear.
Oh yes, today was going just perfectly.
Motoko couldn't quite bring herself to meet Koichi's eye after what had occurred earlier that day.
That was something I would have expected of Kitsune rather than myself, it was almost…brazen.
'You mean exhilarating' a tiny voice in her head sniggered, bringing out faint splotches of colour on her cheeks. It was true that it had been… interesting. This was the first time she had been that vulnerable around a man since she had tried to pretend to be engaged to Keitaro, only this time it had been done willingly.
Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the feel of his fingers running across her smooth back as he washed it carefully.
She risked a quick glance at him, looking strangely out of place in his traditional robes despite their setting, whistling a merry little tune to himself, hands tucked behind his head, not a care in the world. Certainly no sign that anything significant had happened.
Motoko's eyes narrowed as she thought of the potential lecherous thoughts and fantasies running through his head at that moment and lashed out unconsciously with her elbow.
He looked at her with the expression of a kicked puppy as the air was once more forcibly removed from his lungs.
She smiled half apologetically as he rubbed his stomach, not displaying his wonder at how she had guessed what he was thinking about.
As they neared the kitchens he made a silent gesture for her to remain as quiet as possible, ignoring her confusion as he slipped over to the side entrance and pressed his ear to the thin paper panel, careful not to stand in a fashion that would cast an obvious shadow for those inside.
The door slid aside swiftly, almost dropping him face first on floor of the kitchen if not for the hand that restrained him at the last moment.
An older woman with greying hair looked upon his half balanced state with amusement for a second, watching as he opened his mouth to explain the presence of himself and his bride to be.
She did smile when she brought the basket she was holding into view and offered it to him, his face twisting through alternating expressions of confusion, suspicion and disbelief.
"With compliments from my Lady", she said quietly, sliding the door closed again to cut off any laughter that might have spewed forth had she had to look at his slack-jawed incomprehension a moment longer.
Motoko watched him curiously as he carefully opened the lid of the basket as if expecting something to leap out at him, carefully pawing through the contents and occasionally casting a sceptical look back at the door before turning to her with his smile more or less back in place.
"I guess I owe the brat one", he said with a cryptic smile as he hefted the basket and took her hand, "Come on, my luck is in full swing today, we shouldn't waste a moment of it".
Motoko thought privately that her arm might have been dislocated were she a weaker woman, as he took off up the corridor with the energy of a child on a sugar high.
He led her out of the temple swiftly, stopping only to take an exaggerated breath of the clear air before looking over his shoulder and winking deviously at her.
"Come on, I have the perfect spot picked out already", he said taking her hand again and leading her towards the gates.
Though she didn't know what was in the basket, it didn't take a genius to guess. Motoko looked up at the currently cloudless sky, basking in the pleasant feeling of the sun and the small but not uncomfortable breeze.
A picnic on a beautiful day. It wasn't the most original plan ever, but it was something they hadn't done before, and Koichi had obviously planned this before hand, a rarity in itself.
She smiled as he continued to direct her with his almost child-like enthusiasm, something that had seemed to be diminishing as of late, and she was surprisingly pleased to she it return.
She let herself relax and fully enjoy the moment, the faint forest noises, the beating sun, the feel of Koichi's hand in hers, the faint crunch of the ground as the left the grounds proper and ventured into the woods Koichi had grown up with as a child.
Motoko wondered if they would live in a place like this when they eventually wed. She wasn't sure if she would miss the city or not, but this place was quiet and serene, much like the place she herself had grown up in, although thankfully there were no turtles living in this area as far as she knew.
She wasn't sure which of them heard it first. A faint whisper of low voices up ahead. It wasn't long before both of them had stopped, ears trained on the sounds, instinctively trying to identify what about them had caught their attention.
It wasn't inconceivable for someone else to be out here. There were plenty of people living at the seat of the Sagura family, but the odds of them being here, directly in the path they were taking and conversing in hushed tones…
Motoko had never asked Koichi much about his families methods of dealing with the unwanted, but she had gotten the impression that they preferred verbal over physical assassination, and hoped that that had not been a foolish assumption.
Her hand went to her hip, only finding air. She had been asked not to carry a weapon around the premises, and had respected that request to avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness.
She glanced over at Koichi, expecting to see actions similar to his own, but his brow was only wrinkled in concentration.
He held a finger to his lips and pointed toward where the voices were coming from.
He padded off before she could stop him, leaving her cursing under her breath before following.
The voices seemed to stop as they neared and Motoko and Koichi dropped low, moving through the underbrush like shadows as they neared the location they had last heard anything from.
Depending on how you look at it, what they found was either very anti-climactic, or infinitely shocking.
There, in the midst of a small clearing, were Kitsune and Kentaro. Not anything in and of itself perhaps, but the lip-lock they seemed to have on each other was certainly eye catching.
Koichi eloquent expression seemed to ask, "Are you seeing what I see?", while Motoko's was mute.
The pair in front of them broke apart and released each other, stepping back a little as if suddenly making up for their recent lack of personal space.
"That's some nerve you have their rich-boy", Kitsune smirked.
"Perhaps", he smiled and struck a nonchalant pose, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say, you should be familiar with that principle my dear".
Kitsune barked a short laugh and shook her head, sandy ponytail swaying lightly, "You can't play a player kid".
"Who said I was playing?"
"Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?", she responded.
Kentaro shrugged a little, "Sincere things always do"
She opened one eye slightly, "What brought that on?"
He closed his eyes for a second as if thinking something through, "How long have we been drinking buddies Mitsune?"
Kitsune frowned at the use of her real name, something very few even knew let alone used, "I don't know, on and off I suppose since about a month after the fair"
Kentaro chuckled at something the two watching didn't get and rubbed at his neck for a moment, "And we've been out a lot together as of late, these past few months…You're a rather talkative drunk Mitsune, I've gotten to know a lot more about you than I do about most women, even Naru believe it or not".
"Are you going somewhere with this?", she asked sounding bored.
He chuckled again, "Of course Ms. Konno, how rude of me, I would simply like to declare my interest".
Motoko looked at Koichi who seemed to be mouthing No way…
Kitsune looked at the man opposite her with a raised eyebrow, before a devilish grin spread across her face, "I'm no cheap date Kentaro".
"Yes, both I and my wallet recall all to well Ms. Konno", he said around a smirk.
"And I'm no push over", she said, somehow shifting from uninterested to playful with a subtle change of stance, "Think you can handle that?".
"I welcome the challenge"
Kitsune let loose a positively evil laugh, "Oh, this is going to be fun, you have a lot to learn before shooting for the big game my boy".
"I'll try to keep up", he answered as she turned to leave, walking quickly, but not without too much dignity to match her pace.
Kitsune's only reply was her usual, semi-flirtatious laugh echoing into the distance.
When they could no longer be heard, Motoko and Koichi stepped back into view.
"…I'm going to pretend I never saw that", Koichi voiced their mutual thoughts and Motoko nodded in agreement.
"Come on, it's not much further", Koichi murmured, checking that the basket and its contents were safe before resuming the trek to the small hillside clearing he had found as a boy.
The servant trembled before the unspoken rage of his master.
Though the man before him gave no outward sign of anger, or even displeasure, anyone who had spent a large quantity of time in the presence of Kenichi Sagura, especially in a place that brought out most peoples sensitivities the nuisances of emotion only accurately displayed in a persons Ki, would know that he was no pleased with the news he had just received.
The servant had the unfortunate job of reporting to his master that no one had the faintest clue as to the whereabouts of either his son or his son's soon to be bride, Motoko Aoyama.
After they had been seen entering and leaving the bathhouse together, something with had darkened his Lord's countenance considerably, they had been spotted moving toward the kitchens, but none of those there had reported seeing them arrive or actively interact with anyone, and shortly after that they had vanished.
Upon hearing this, the Lord had ordered his nephew brought before him, for what reasons the servant could only speculate, and he had rushed to comply.
It seemed that he had offended one of the gods somehow recently, as he was forced to return with yet more bad news. No one could locate Akira Sagura anywhere, nor had he been seen since he left to train in private that morning, missing the official practice as he often did.
His Lord was not amused by the news of his nephew's sudden disappearance.
He cringed as his master spoke.
"So, Akira is nowhere to be found, and my son and the Aoyama girl have also vanished"
"Y-yes, my Lord", he said in a small voice.
"…Find Akira, now, and bring him before me"
"But my Lord-"
"Need I repeat myself?", the servant cringed at his icy tone and an unidentifiable look in those cold sea grey eyes.
"Of course not my Lord, I shall locate the young master swiftly", he bowed low as he left, he footsteps rapidly fading into the distance.
Kenichi slammed his open palm down of the table angrily, causing several papers to and the serving girl who had brought him his tea to jump in response.
How was it possible for three of the most prominent people sleeping under his own roof to vanish from sight with such ease?
Akira, perhaps he could understand, that boy was a snake, slippery and unpredictable, but he had no reason to try and avoid detection and lacked the brains besides to be attempting anything underhanded.
As for his son and his would be bride, they had no way to know who they were being watched by, and although Koichi had in the past slipped away from his watchful gaze, he had never used misdirection of any sort before, preferring instead to simply vanish, and why go to the trouble after openly visiting the bathhouse with the little Aoyama harlot?
No, these disappearances were to well timed, to planned, there was another player at work, and a good one at that, and of those possible, even the guests that had travelled here with Koichi, one name stood out.
If his thoughts were flowing to a true conclusion, then he would never progress unless he moved things along more quickly, and disabled his opponent before they could retaliate.
"Bring Sakura before me", he said to the wide-eyed serving girl, a plan formulating in his mind, a plan for direct action. If he could not move his pieces by shadow play, he would have to do things manually.
He found a clean piece of paper and began to write. There was much work to be done.
The sun had moved down from its zenith when Motoko and Koichi began their journey back to the temple. It was not late exactly, but it was certainly later than they had planned to return.
Part of this was the simple beauty of the spot Koichi had picked out. A small hillside clearing next to a tiny stream, whose crystal clear water churned and bubbled past, lending the place and natural music that enhanced its charm.
They had chatted and eaten, or simply lain of the soft grass, heads next to each other and bodies stretched in opposite directions.
The other part of their unexpected delay came from Koichi's growing discomfort as the next part of the day he had planned out drew closer.
It was for this reason, that despite walking hand in hand with his beautiful fiancé, despite her happy smile, he looked pensive and troubled.
He led her wordlessly toward the lake they had observed only the night before, toward the willow tree on the far side, and the simple grey pillar that stood next to it, hidden from sight of the temple by the tree that had been planted at his mother's request all those years ago.
"…Koichi…", Motoko began uncertainly as he stopped before the marker that indicated the final resting place of Ishizu Sagura.
He squeezed her hand briefly as he let go, crouching down before the grave and clapping his hands together as he bowed his head.
"Mother…", he said, his voice soft and sad, "I want you to meet someone. This is Motoko Aoyama, the girl I told you about. I found her Mother, we're together again, and we are going to be wed. I think you'd like her, I know I do…I just wish you could be here to meet her".
He looked up at Motoko with a half-smile, privately dreading what her reaction to his speaking to a dead woman would be, and caught of guard by her gentle smile.
She crouched next to him, mimicking her earlier gesture of respect.
"Motoko Aoyama, heir to the Gods Cry school of swordsmanship…I have promised this man my life, and I will keep that promise. I will take care of him as best I am able…", she drew a deep breath, "Mother…"
Koichi's hand found hers and they gave each other a reassuring squeeze, both thinking their private thoughts as they paid respect to the to the dead.
Kyoko was deep in thought, her legs moving on autopilot. She had been informed by one of her servants that there was a rumour going around that Akira had gone missing. Rumours of that kind were usually disguised inquiries, designed to pluck out useful information from an abstract source.
It occurred to her that this was at least partially her fault; she had not thought to ask what Su planned to do with Akira once they moved him, and it seemed that lapse of judgement would come back to haunt her.
Firstly she had to locate Su if she hoped to find Akira before anyone else and assure his silence, and so once more she found herself walking toward the guest quarters.
She wasn't totally surprised when her objective rounded the corner ahead of her. Even Su's strange hunting gear didn't phase her as much as it probably should, and the dark haired girl couldn't help but wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing in the over all scheme of things.
Behind Su, pulling with all her fragile strength as if restraining a large dog, or at least trying to, was Shinobu.
Kyoko noted off hand that the way the other girls face was scrunched up and mildly flushed with exertion was rather cute.
"Just the person I was looking for", she said, stepping to block Su's path much to the thanks of the blue haired girl who smiled gratefully at her over their mutual friend's shoulder.
"Hi Kyoko!", Su declared as energetically as ever, breaking free of Shinobu's hold on her and bounding over until she was almost face to face with the other girl, "Are you going to join us on the hunt?"
The hunt? Kyoko mouthed questioningly at Shinobu who just shrugged sheepishly in response.
"We're going to track down a fox", Su said with a wide grin as if that clarified matters.
"Kitsune has been gone for awhile now and so has Kentaro-san", Shinobu explained, her eyes seeming plea for help with the boisterous foreigner that wanted to track their friends as part of a game.
"I'm sure she will turn up eventually Su, why not leave her to her own devices", Kyoko suggested diplomatically, part of her mind already working on why the older woman might have slipped away and turning up some amusing answers.
The blond pouted dejectedly, "But we had so much fun playing this morning. I want to play some more! Red is no fun, he's still sleeping my closet".
Kyoko's eyes widened as she heard this and her hand was over Su's mouth before she really knew what she was doing. She should have known that Su wouldn't guard her words and should have talk to her as soon as she had found her.
She looked around carefully. It seemed they were in luck, there didn't seem to be anyone about, and Su hadn't spoken all that loudly, so there was a chance no one had heard anything they could piece together later.
"Who's Red?", Shinobu asked curiously, startling Kyoko out of her thoughts. It seemed she'd forgotten that there was at least one person who had heard Su.
"Nothing, nothing at all", she said, shocking herself with how pathetic that lie had sounded.
The blue haired girl frowned and walked closer, peering at her face which Kyoko automatically schooled to stillness, betraying nothing.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, Su was merely referring to a rather ridiculous game she made me play earlier", she tightened her hold on the blond as she mumbled something indignant beneath her hand and began squirming.
Shinobu leaned slightly closer, unnerving the other girl to an extent that seemed out of proportion to what was actually happening. She could actually feel her cheeks heating, unaware that the other girl was experiencing something similar.
"Ok", she said suddenly, smiling brightly and stepping away, leaving Kyoko momentarily dumbstruck, "If you say it's nothing".
Kyoko nodded, cautiously releasing Su in the process, her hands ready should she need to quiet the hyperactive Mol-Molian again.
"Ooooo, Shinobu and Kyoko were staring at each other all kissy face", she cackled as she dodged Kyoko's grab, dancing around the blushing Shinobu as she laughed before taking off up the hall.
For a moment neither of them moved, or even dared to look at the other. If they had they might have noticed their almost identical blushes.
"We better go after her, I don't want my house destroyed", Kyoko said when she was sure her face was normal again.
She began walking without waiting for an answer, unaware of the other girl's sudden paralysis as she watched her leave.
Shinobu shook her head to clear out the fog that seemed to have suddenly clouded her mind and padded lightly after her.
From the shadows in which he had hid, the servant of Kenichi Sagura watch the two girls leave, their last exchange far from his mind.
If he was right about what the blond one had blurted out, then it was possible he could actually do as his Lord had requested.
This in mind he began searching the guest quarters for the room that belonged to the gaijin. Kaolla Su.
Kyoko flinched as the light ripped across the dark sky, followed seconds later by a loud thunderclap that erased the steady patter of the rain.
She had never really liked storms. All that power wild and unleashed, it was terrifying. The fact it had come on so suddenly, so quickly after the calm and peaceful weather they had had thus far…
To the youngest Sagura, it felt like an omen. Of what she didn't know, but it promised a change of some sort, with no signs as to whether it would be a change for the worst or the better.
It didn't help that she had once more been summoned before her Father.
She could not recall ever receiving so many summons so close together before, and the growing storm only darkened her perceptions of why she was being called before him this time.
In a childish moment she wondered if he had somehow caused this storm to frighten her into confessing all she had privately done against him.
This is ridiculous, a true Lady does not fear the weather, does not cower like a child. She walks on with dignity and grace.
These were the thoughts that ran through her mind like a mantra as she knocked softly on her Father's door, sliding it aside only when she heard the familiar "Enter".
Before she could even utter a word of greeting his eyes were upon her, almost freezing her in her tracks.
"Sit", he said coldly.
Kyoko bristled a little but didn't argue, gliding to the seat on the other side of his desk and lowering herself gracefully, not betraying an inch as her nervousness spiked.
Whatever he said this time, she would be ready.
"You have betrayed me daughter", his voice was cold and accusing, so blunt and direct it froze any reply on her lips, the sudden silence between them broken only by another vivid flash of lightning.
"Father?", she asked, her voice sounding weaker than she had intended. Though it was technically true, it still hurt to hear him say it so coldly.
"You have been working against me", his voice as angry and he seemed to tower above her without standing, "From the start you have been evasive, I simply but that down to an understandable discomfort. Your servants have been helping Koichi avoid my informants. They would only do such a thing at your behest".
His sea grey eyes were like chips of steel, burrowing into her, daring her to deny the accusation.
Years of training in the arts of deception, active rebellion, a belief in the righteousness of her cause. All of this fell away as she felt herself reduced to the to her base self, the lying daughter, caught and exposed.
She tried to speak but nothing would come forth.
"And worst of all, you have attacked your own kin", the disappointment in his voice tore at her, and she suddenly wanted to confess, to beg him not to hate her. Still he pushed on.
"You attacked an kidnapped Akira", there was nothing she could do to deny it. However he had found out, it was true.
What he said next was the deepest blow so far.
"Do you hate us all that much my daughter?"
"No Father, I-"
"You have shamed yourself in my eyes", Kyoko let out an involuntary whimper. This couldn't be happening, it wasn't real.
"You have lied to me, to me your own Father"
"Please", she begged, not wanting to hear anymore as the reality of the situation began to collapse around her.
She had thought she could bare anything to help her brother, that at most she would suffer her Father's anger, that she could handle, but not this. Not this disappointment, not the sadness that replaced his anger.
Her love for her family had brought her to this point, and now it damned her.
Kenichi's voice was so soft it made his next words harder than steel, "Such deception, such dishonour… your Mother would be shamed to know you now".
Kyoko felt herself lurch physically, mouth ajar. She felt something warm running down her face, splashing wetly on her kimono.
"Leave", he commanded, refusing to look at her.
Kyoko staggered upright, stumbling on numb feet as she left.
In her mind a scene from her childhood played out on a soundless loop. Herself, not more than five years old, watching as her Father sobbed quietly over the image of a beautiful raven haired woman, the woman she had learned was her mother, who had died giving birth to her. She had made a promise to herself at that moment, that she would become everything that woman had been and more, so that her Father and brother wouldn't have to miss her, would never be sad again.
She wasn't truly aware of what was happening as she pulled the front door of the temple aside, icy rain lashing at her face, obscuring the warm tears.
She was only aware that she had failed, and somewhere inside, a little piece of her died.
For the first time in her life that she could remember, Kyoko Sagura screamed, and raced out into the storm.
Sitting in his study silently, Kenichi Sagura's face was cold an impassive as he looked skyward.
For a second, and only a second, it seemed to melt into something else, something more human as he softly whispered, "Ishizu… forgive me".
Shinobu had been wondering the halls restlessly shortly after the storm started. She had no fear of storms, in fact she found them rather awe inspiring, the way they were so free and untamed, spontaneous.
Thus she always felt a little energetic whenever there was one, amusingly it was usually during these times Su actually became comparatively lethargic.
The scream ripped away any of her pleasant thoughts as she wondered. It was the sound of someone in utter anguish; someone who had lost something they never realised was truly dear to them until it was gone.
Perhaps it was the energy born of the storm, perhaps a morbid curiosity or maybe, on some level, she had recognised that voice, even though she had never heard it in such pain.
Whatever the reason, Shinobu had found herself sprinting towards its source.
She arrived at the entrance, shielding her face with the inadequate material of her Cabot dress's sleeve from the deluge of cold, wind driven water that sprayed into the building.
Had she arrived a little later she never would have seen Kyoko's small form vanishing into the distance, buffeted by wind and rain from the outside and who knew what from the inside.
Her feet had her moving before she could make any rational decision, an almost empathic sense of the other girls suffering driving her out into the storm after her.
Soon neither of them could be seen, even if someone had been looking.
Kyoko screamed. The storm screamed right back.
She cursed it, rallied against it, forcing all the venom and sorrow she could into her mindless utterances.
The storm embraced it all and returned it tenfold, lashing her sodden body with wave after wave of artic water, whipped at speed into her face by merciless winds, flattening her hair to her skull and paling her skin.
She continued to run even as her weak legs, more used to regal gliding than hard running begged their mistress to stop, to return to her sanity or at least rest.
She didn't heed them, she was blind to everything, in and out expect her father's last words to her.
In truth she didn't even fully understand why the approval of a woman dead before she had met her meant so much.
She continued to run, and to cry.
Mud splashed up beneath her, staining her legs and her Kimono equally, and water had clogged her house slippers, turning them to blocks of ice around her delicate feet.
"Kyoko-chan!"
Kyoko stumbled a little, but kept running. It was just the storm trying to trick her, to stop her from running so it could punish her at its leisure.
"Kyoko-chan!"
That voice, it's… no, please, stop it, stop hurting me, I'll be good from now on, I swear
She cried out as her foot struck something hard, pitching her to the ground. Mud washed over her as she skidded to a halt, numerous hidden rocks scratching her hands and legs.
She made no attempt to stand, sobbing into the drenched earth.
"Kyoko-chan!"
Why? I already have enough scorn, I don't need hers, please, just stop.
"Kyoko-chan", Shinobu panted as she finally caught up to where the other girl lay slumped on the ground, her only movement the slow rise and fall of her shoulders as she wept.
"Please, just stop", the dark haired girl whimpered, barely loud enough for Shinobu to hear as she crouched by her.
Shinobu frowned in concern as she rested her hands on Kyoko's ice cold shoulders, shuddering as her lack of movement allowed the rain to suck away the remaining heat clinging desperately to her inadequate garments.
"I lost it", Kyoko sobbed, finally looking up at the other girl as if not daring to believe the touch on her shoulders was real.
"Lost what?", Shinobu said softly, trying to get her to stand but only succeeding in bringing her to her knees.
"Mother, Father, everything… I thought if I could just keep everything as it was, that Oni-chan and Father would be happy…But I'm not like her!", she screamed, causing Shinobu to flinch back at the raw hurt in her voice, "I'm not…and now he hates me…Father hates me".
"I'm sure he doesn't", Shinobu moved to embrace her friend, "I'm sure-"
"What the hell would you know?", Kyoko screamed, edging away from her, "You have plenty of people who love you, what would you know…"
Kyoko looked up, expecting hatred, shock, disgust, anything but what she did see.
Sadness.
"I know more than you might believe about not feeling unloved Kyoko-chan…", she said quietly, rain slicking her beautiful blue hair over her face.
"My parents got divorced when I was thirteen, they used to bicker over who got t keep me…like I was the family dog rather than their daughter…I was sadder then than I have ever been, and it reflected in the rest of my life, no friends, no joy…",
she looked up and Kyoko was stunned by the smile on her face after such a sad tale, "but in the end it all changed, I moved into the Hinata house and my parents came to find me, together, no arguing. Not because they wanted their prize, but because they loved me, even if they had forgotten to show it…people are like that".
Kyoko couldn't bring herself to look at the other girl's face, s she let her gaze drop to the ground between them.
"That's ok if they loved you before…I…if I can't be her…that's what they want…"
She froze as she was pulled into a gentle embrace, small hands stroking her hair comfortingly.
"I used to think the same thing when I was in love with Sempai", Kyoko had the impression from her soft voice she was smiling gently as she spoke, "I tried so hard to be someone else, someone he would love, but he would always tell me in his way, that I was better being me…that's what he loved, and I'm a lot happier for it".
Kyoko felt her eyes tearing up again and she clung to the blue haired girl like she was a lift raft out at sea, "I don't know who I am".
"You can figure it out, you're a strong person Kyoko-chan, and there are people who love you to support you".
There was a pause as whatever Kyoko said next was blocked out by a rumble of thunder.
Shinobu shivered. Even with the presence of another body snuggled against her they were both rapidly losing warmth sitting out in the rain.
She nudged Kyoko gently, noticing now that her sniffles had subsided that it was almost like she had been lulled to sleep by Shinobu's heartbeat.
"Come on", Shinobu urged her to her feet as best she could with the other girl still clinging to her, "Lets get out of this rain".
Kyoko only nodded mutely in response as they trekked back through the mud toward the temple.
With some mildly embarrassed help from Shinobu, Kyoko was able to strip off her wet and dirty robes and climb under the covers of her futon, whispering a quiet thanks to the blue haired girl as she wished her a good night and promised they'd talk again in the morning.
Huddling deeper under the covers Kyoko allowed drowsiness to pull her toward the land of dreams. Her last waking thoughts were of that moment obscured by thunder.
--- Kyoko tightened her grip on Shinobu as she heard her say that there were people who loved her, feeling a little better.
She listened to the faint thud-thud of the other girl's heart as the rain poured down around them.
She felt so safe here, despite the storm, so comforted, so…loved…
Kyoko reflected back on her stay at the Hinata house, the moment she had first seen the blue haired girl and everything since then, her kindnesses, both large and small, and the way above it all she had treated Kyoko totally on face value, believing in her for no reason other than an natural innocence that drew the other girl like a moth to the flame after living in the moral darkness that her home had become without her ever truly realising.
Shinobu, so sweet, so carefree…and so beautiful, even without any of the training that she had received, she had a beauty that couldn't be taught.
Kyoko had never really been in love before, but she had no real doubt that that was what she was feeling now.
She asked herself as the cold began to numb her body, would it have been the same if she had met one of the other girls first? Would she have fallen for them, was it something about the Hinata House rather than its guests…did she care?
Gathering her courage she spoke, "I love you Shinobu-chan"
Thunder drowned out the words as they left her lips, but she hoped that they had somehow reached the other girl, and waited, hardly daring to breath, for a response.
"Come on, lets get out of this rain"
Kyoko's heart sank a little. Was that a rejection? Or had she just not heard?
She allowed herself to be guided to her feet and they began the long trek home in silence---
Shinobu stagger over to her bed, her face red and her breathing heavy. She was shivering lightly as she stripped out of her sodden clothes and the shivers only got more violent as she finally managed to climb under the covers.
I never have been to good with the rain, she thought with a weak smile. Her head felt heavy as she curled into a ball within the covers and slowly slipped into a fitful sleep.
When morning came no one would ever really know what had happened that night, only that Shinobu had awoken with a fever and that Kyoko refused to leave her room.
While they were trying to figure out this mystery, the librarian faced another crisis, a inventory taken on whim in a moment of boredom had turned up a missing item. A book.
"Sealing the Demon", he read the title off his list with disinterest. One of the older legends, probably borrowed by one of the students to try and scare his fellows with, nothing to be concerned with.
Placing the list back in his draw, the librarian returned to his duties.
---Author Notes---
Back in black my friends, sorry about the delay and the posting of a preview of this chapter rather than the full one, but I only recently got a break in my schedule.
A fitting title in the end, ne? Anyways next chapter: plans set into motion, swords clash, feelings unveiled and last ditch effort
All this and more coming soon in Chapter 11: What was Lost
Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell
PS: I recommend listening either to "What it is to Burn" – by Finch or the sad choir piece from the Mai HiME death scenes during the storm section, note, the Mai HiME one has the greatest impact, if you don't like people to see you tear up, don't read it while listening to that piece